The story of female revenge can be a supremely satisfying one, as often overlooked, underestimated, and marginalized members of society seek out vengeance against people and systems that oppose their agency. In the early days of Hollywood, women’s revenge was woven into film-noirs, as hysterical women sought the “hard boiled detective” to right their wrongs. Then in Westerns like True Grit, a woman would seek out a gunslinger to enact vengeance on her abusers.
In essence, women wanting revenge has been a catalyst for the plots of entire genres of film, but at the expense of the perception that women are capable of solving their own problems. To celebrate the release of The Rhythm Section, lets celebrate the 10 best movies about revenge-seeking badass women who created their own genre.
KILL BILL: VOLUME 1
The start to a trilogy of films unapologetically devoted to one woman’s revenge, Kill Bill: Volume 1 is the story of an assassin known as The Bride, whose wedding day was destroyed by her jealous ex-lover. He was responsible for not only the wedding, but the death of her unborn child, and his bloodshed put her in a coma for four years.
When she awakens in the hospital, she begins a hit list, filled with all the names that contributed to her life being stolen from her. She systematically tracks each person down, one low-life and assassin after another on her journey to Bill. Full of Quentin Tarantino’s quirky dialogue and sanguinary visuals, it shows revenge is a dish best served with steel.
A VIGILANTE
A Vigilante features Olivia Wilde as you’ve never seen her before - cold, calculating, and incredibly violent. She stars as a woman who’s been the victim of domestic abuse in all the worst ways, and vows to never again let her (or anyone else) experience the same.
Once word of her exploits spread, women, men, and children come to her for her patented brand of vengeance, and she becomes a vigilante who goes after their abusers without mercy. The film recognizes that domestic abuse survivors come in all forms, and that they all have a feeling of wanting to reclaim their agency.
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Carey Mulligan stars as Cassie in Promising Young Woman, about a young woman who had a promising career in medicine ahead of her, before a traumatic event involving her best friend forced her to drop out of medical school and work at a coffee shop.
Barista by day, she has a unique preoccupation at night; entrapping men at bars to reveal their moral codes simply deny their predatory motivations. One “nice guy” after another proves he’s really a cad, but no amount of exposing a system of male privilege will fill the emotional void in her. The difficult subject matter is peppered with dark comedic elements, and the ending subverts its obvious tropes.
THE BRAVE ONE
Like a gender-swapped Death Wish with superior acting, The Brave One showcases the toll that violence takes on a person who isn’t accustomed to being its perpetrator. Jodie Foster stars as a woman who is the only survivor of an attack while on a stroll in the park with her boyfriend.
While processing her grief, she decides to seek revenge on the the men that committed the murder. As she goes through the process of buying weapons, learning how to use them, and committing executions, she finds herself having to commit to embracing sides of herself she refused to acknowledge were there.
THE FIRST WIVES CLUB
There aren’t any gunfights, shootouts, or martial arts in this film, but with the charisma of the three leads, there’s no need for that sort of over-the-top theatricality. It features the talents of Diane Keaton, Bette Midler, and Goldie Hawn as three first wives who’ve had enough of their ex-husband’s foolishness.
When one of their friends commits suicide over an ex-husband’s affair, her former pals form an emergency pow wow. They decide they’re going to get back at their ex-husbands who have started businesses and made millions off their hard work, meanwhile trading them in for younger women and taking them for granted.
LADY VENGEANCE
When a woman, Lee Geum-ja (Lee Yeong-ae), goes to prison for kidnapping and killing children, she spends 13 years behind bars away from her young daughter. She fantasizes about getting her revenge by killing the police officer who forced her confession as well as the teacher who put her away.
Part of Park Chan-wook’s Vengeance trilogy, which includes the critically acclaimed Oldboy, Lady Vengeance is a complicated and complex thriller that isn’t as overtly violent as the director’s other films, but still has a satisfying conclusion, especially for the young victims of the actual killer.
9 to 5
A classic screwball revenge comedy from the ’80s, starring the comedic talents of Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, and Jane Fonda, 9 to 5 somehow makes the act of taking vengeance on one’s surly, sexist boss seem like a maniacal fever dream full of laughs.
In fact it is as three secretaries, long since taken for granted by their chauvinistic overlord, decide to plan his demise and take over the business. They kidnap him, but one may have successfully poisoned him, and they need to clear their names before the jig is up.
HARD CANDY
What begins as a precocious teenager named Haley (Ellen Page) meeting a photographer in a coffee shop (Patrick Wilson) turns concerning when he invites her back to his house. What he doesn’t know, is Haley is fully aware of his vile intentions, and is plotting to secure his confession.
Just when he thinks he’s lured the perfect prize, she turns the tables on him and makes him a prisoner in his own home. She ties him up and starts her own unique brand of psychological torture, which will keep you glued to the screen until the final moment.
JENNIFER’S BODY
Megan Fox stars as a true “man eater”, a Homecoming Queen idolized for her looks and objectified for her body in a movie that many are saying was ahead of its time. It highlights issues of misogyny and chauvinism within the genre of slasher horror without feeling preachy.
When Jennifer gets possessed by a demon, she gets a true taste for human flesh, particularly from the men who valued her only for her body. As she goes on a rampage throughout her school, her nerdy friend (Amanda Seyfried), at first in awe of her incredible powers, soon begins to realize if left unchecked they could be directed at her.
CARRIE
In the 1976 adaptation of Stephen King’s classic horror novel, Sissy Spacek plays Carrie White, a shy girl from an overly religious household who isn’t well liked at school. As she struggles not to break under the verbal abuse from both classmates and her mother, bizarre occurrences make her realize that she may have supernatural powers.
An empathetic classmate (who happens to be one of the more popular boys at school) invites her to the prom, and she attempts to have a good time at the dance despite her suspicions. Eventually, his true motivations are revealed and the film takes a dark turn when Carrie enacts her revenge.
